SALTON CITY, Calif. – El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a United States citizen attempting to smuggle narcotics through an immigration checkpoint Friday morning.
At approximately 9:10 a.m., a black Mercedes Benz C-Class approached the Highway 86 checkpoint. The agent inspecting vehicles in the primary lanes referred the vehicle to secondary inspection.
A Border Patrol K-9 detection team alerted to the vehicle. Agents inspected the interior of the vehicle and discovered a green pouch concealed in the dashboard area. An in-depth inspection of the pouch revealed three bundles of narcotics. One bundle contained a brown tar-like substance that tested positive for heroin, the second bundle, a white crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, and the third bundle containing blue pills with “M30” markings on them that tested positive for fentanyl.
The 41-year-old male driver was in possession of 16.9 grams of heroin with an estimated street value of $1,686, 8.9 grams of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $354.80 and 24.99 grams of fentanyl pills with an estimated street value of $3748.50.
The subject, vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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